Jim Thome

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jim Thome
Jim Thome
Jim Thome
First baseman / designated hitter / third baseman
Born: August 27, 1970
Peoria , United StatesUnited StatesUnited States 
Strikes: Left Throws: Right
Debut in Major League Baseball
September 4,  1991  with the  Cleveland Indians
Last MLB assignment
October 3,  2012  at the  Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
(until end of career)
Batting average    .276
Home runs    612
RBI    1,699
Hits    2,328
Doubles    451
On-base plus slugging    , 956
Teams

Awards

member of
☆☆☆Baseball Hall of Fame☆☆☆
Recorded     2018
Quota    89.8%
Special selection    BBWAA
Last update: May 5th, 2018

James Howard "Jim" Thome (born August 27, 1970 in Peoria , Illinois ) is a retired American baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB).

youth

Thome spent much of his youth watching the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field . At the age of 8, hoping to get Dave Kingman's autograph, he jumped into the Cubs' dugout before the national anthem. A dugout is the area in which the players bench is located.

At his high school, Thome then showed his athletic talent and became the star in two school teams. In addition to baseball, he was also one of the best on the basketball team. As a junior, Thome hit 12 home runs and then went to Illinois Central College, where he continued to play both sports successfully. In the Major League Draft in 1989, the Cleveland Indians then secured the rights to Thome.

Major League Baseball career

After Thome was drafted, he made his MLB debut in 1991 at third base. After the Indians traded Matt Williams in 1997 , Thome moved to first base. On the offensive, he first became conspicuous in 1995 when he reached a batting average of .314, scoring 25 home runs and 73  batted in runs . In 1996 he increased to 38 homers, and in 1997 even to 40. Thome developed into a typical homerun hitter. Among other things, he hit a ball 511 feet (156 meters) from Jacobs Field . This was the longest home run ever recorded in Cleveland. He was then nicknamed "The Thomenator" by fans and the press .

After the 2002 season, Thome's contract expired and became a free agent. Thome tried to stay with the Chicago Cubs, whom he had watched since childhood. However, the Cubs rejected the player, even though he had lowered his demands especially for the Cubs. Instead, Thome signed a six-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies . Many feared that the move from the American League to the National League would cause Thome problems because he did not know the pitchers there. But the player showed his class, hit 47 home runs in the first season with the Phillies and was only one home run behind Mike Schmidt , who has held the Phillies record with 48 home runs since 1979.

In the 2004 season, Thome hit the 400th home run of his career at the brand new Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia . He finished the season with 42 homers and thereby increased the total number of home runs of his career to 423. As a result, he slipped to 35th place in the all-time home run best list.

In the first half of the 2005 season, Thome was hit by a few injuries and only managed to hit an average of .207, including seven home runs, by the all-star game. In July Thome decided to end the season early in order to completely heal his injuries. Substitute Ryan Howard took his chance at first base and hit the most home runs of all rookies in the National League. Howard was consequently voted Rookie of the Year . The good performances of the rookie suddenly made Thome unnecessary at the Phillies. On November 23, 2005, Thome was then traded to the Chicago White Sox for $ 22 million . In addition, three White Sox players moved to Philadelphia.

From April 2006 Thome was then used as a designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox . Since April 2006 he has also held the record for the most home runs by a White Sox player in April (10). By scoring in each of the first 17 games of the season, he became the new major league record holder in this statistic. On Mother's Day , May 14, 2006, Thome was one of over 50 players who played with a pink bat for the benefit of an American breast cancer foundation. That same year, Thome was voted Comeback Player of the Year .

On June 1, 2009, he hit his 550 home run against the Oakland Athletics and on August 15, he overtook Reggie Jackson with his 564 home run and has since been number 11 on the MLB's Alltime Leader List.

On August 15, 2011, Thome hit his home runs No. 599 and 600 in the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

On November 4, 2011, Thome signed a one-year contract for $ 1.25 million with the Philadelphia Phillies.

On June 30, 2012, he moved to the Baltimore Orioles. There he hit his 610th home run on July 20. He overtook Sammy Sosa and is now seventh on the all-time home run list.

Stations in the MLB

Web links

Commons : Jim Thome  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Thome, Jim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thome, James Howard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American baseball player
DATE OF BIRTH August 27, 1970
PLACE OF BIRTH Peoria , Illinois , United States